My Chord FinderTHE PRACTICE WORKBENCH
Chord Progressions
Find the next four chords.
This page explains common chord progressions: what the Roman numerals mean, how a 12-bar blues is built, the minor-key v/V choice and four patterns worth comparing.
To hear any of these progressions, change a chord or download a MIDI file, open it in the Chord progression generator.
For piano voicings, see piano chord progressions; for ii–V–I with seventh chords, see jazz chord progressions on piano.
What do the Roman numerals mean?
A Roman numeral identifies the scale degree of a chord's root within a key. For triads, uppercase means major, lowercase means minor, and a small circle marks diminished quality. Basis: Open Music Theory: Roman numerals.
Starting on each note of C major and stacking alternate scale notes gives the seven triads below. Their major, minor and diminished qualities follow Open Music Theory: triads.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | C major | C, E, G |
| ii | D minor | D, F, A |
| iii | E minor | E, G, B |
| IV | F major | F, A, C |
| V | G major | G, B, D |
| vi | A minor | A, C, E |
| vii° | B diminished | B, D, F |
These labels belong to the selected key: I is C major in C major, but G major in G major. Changing key changes the chord names while preserving the degree pattern.
12 bar blues: read the whole form
A basic 12-bar blues has three four-bar phrases. Here is one version in C using dominant seventh chords throughout, following Open Music Theory: blues harmony. Each entry lasts one bar; variations exist.
| Bars | Chords, one per bar |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | C7 · C7 · C7 · C7 |
| 5–8 | F7 · F7 · C7 · C7 |
| 9–12 | G7 · F7 · C7 · C7 |
This form is not twelve different chords. C7, F7 and G7 are dominant-quality chords on the first, fourth and fifth roots; they do not all belong to one major scale.
Minor chord progressions: check v and V
In A natural minor, i–iv–v means Am–Dm–Em. Raising the leading tone changes Em (E–G–B) to E major (E–G♯–B), giving i–iv–V. This distinction follows Open Music Theory: Roman numerals.
To hear the difference, compare Am–Dm–Em with Am–Dm–E.
Guitar chord progressions: take one chord at a time
For one complete four-bar loop with playable fret shapes and an acoustic guitar preview, try the indie chord progression for guitar.
For a bass-and-chord practice pattern on guitar, use the country chord progression workbench.
Common chord progressions: four patterns to compare
These patterns are documented in Open Music Theory: four-chord schemas. The table writes them in C major so you can compare their order using the same chord names.
| Pattern | Degrees | Chords |
|---|---|---|
| Doo-wop | I–vi–IV–V | C–Am–F–G |
| Singer/songwriter | I–V–vi–IV | C–G–Am–F |
| Singer/songwriter, rotated | vi–IV–I–V | Am–F–C–G |
| Hopscotch | IV–V–vi–I | F–G–Am–C |
The singer/songwriter and hopscotch patterns can be tonally ambiguous: a chord sequence alone does not always establish one clear tonic. Here, C major is the reference for reading the numerals, not a claim about the key of every song using these chords.
Take the sequence to your instrument
Use the Guitar Chord Finder for individual guitar shapes or the Piano Chord Finder for keyboard notes and inversions. Explore the fretboard with Guitar Scales, or follow the finger-numbered charts and chord-change routine in Guitar Chords for Beginners.